IF IOWA LAW PASSES, CHILDREN CAN USE HANDGUNS

Iowa’s House of Representatives has voted for a bill that would permit children younger than 14 to possess “a pistol, revolver or the ammunition” under parental supervision. “What this bill does, the bill before us, (is) allows for one-year-olds, twoyear- olds, three- year- olds, four- year- olds to operate handguns,” Democratic State Rep. Kirsten Running- Marquardt said. “We do not need a militia of toddlers.” The current state law has no restrictions on children using long guns or shotguns under a parent’s supervision but prohibits them from using handguns. Republican State Rep. Jake Highfill said the new bill, which passed 62-36, “brings the code in line with long guns and shotguns” by allowing them to possess a firearm under direct supervision from a parent or legal guardian. “Allowing people to learn at a young age the respect that a gun commands is one of the most important things you can do,” Highfill said. Children cannot, however, purchase a firearm on their own. The bill is now headed to the Iowa Senate.